[Am-info] "Lord of the Rings"

[Mitch Stone]

Recently one of my friends, a computer wizard, paid me a visit. As we  
were  talking I mentioned that I had recently installed Windows XP on my 
PC. I  told  him how happy I was with this operating system and showed 
him the Windows  XP  CD. To my surprise he threw it into my microwave 
oven and turned it on.  

Instantly I got very upset, because the CD had become precious to me, but 
 he  said: 'Do not worry, it is unharmed.' 

After a few minutes he took the CD out, gave it to me and said: 'Take a  
close  look at it.' 

To my surprise the CD was quite cold to hold and it seemed to be heavier 
than before. At first I could not see anything, but on the inner edge  of 
the central hole I saw an inscription, an inscription finer than anything 
 I had ever seen before. The inscription shone piercingly bright, and yet 
 remote, as if out of a great depth:

12413AEB2ED4FA5E6F7D78E78BEDE820945092OF923A40EElOE5 I OCC98D444AA08EI 324

'I cannot understand the fiery letters,' I said in a timid voice. 

'No but I can,' he said. 'The letters are Hex, of an ancient mode, but  
the language is that of Microsoft, which I shall not utter here. But in  
common English this is what it says: 

One OS to rule them all, One OS to find them, One OS to bring them all 
and in the darkness bind them.

It is only two lines from a verse long known in System-lore:

"Three OS's from corporate-kings in their towers of glass,
Seven from valley-lords where orchards used to grow,
Nine from dotcoms doomed to die,
One from the Dark Lord Gates on his dark throne
In the Land of Redmond where the Shadows lie.
One OS to bring them all and in the darkness bind them,
In the Land of Redmond where the Shadows lie."'